Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure generally relates to content broadcasting and more particularly to audio communication through a voice-controlled device.
Related Art
More and more consumers are purchasing items and services over electronic networks such as, for example, the Internet. Consumers routinely purchase products and services from merchants and individuals alike. The transactions may take place directly between a conventional or on-line merchant or retailer and the consumer, and payment is typically made by entering credit card or other financial information. Transactions may also take place with the aid of an on-line or mobile payment service provider such as, for example, PayPal, Inc. of San Jose, Calif. Such payment service providers can make transactions easier and safer for the parties involved. Purchasing with the assistance of a payment service provider from the convenience of virtually anywhere using a mobile device is one main reason why on-line and mobile purchases are growing very quickly.
Homes and other environments are being “automated” with the introduction of interconnected computing devices that perform various tasks. Many of these computing devices are voice-controlled such that a user may interact with the voice-controlled computing devices via speech. The voice-controlled computing devices may capture spoken words and other audio input through a microphone, and perform speech recognition to identify voice commands within the audio inputs. The voice-controlled computing devices may then use the voice commands to perform various tasks such as purchasing items and services over electronic networks with the aid of an on-line or mobile payment service provider. The voice-controlled computing devices may also include artificial intelligence that allows them to interact with the user by providing audio responses to the user via a speaker system. However, conventional user interactions with voice-controlled computing devices are limited to communication between the voice-controlled computing device and the user. As such, when users are having difficulty completing a purchase with a merchant and/or using a payment service provider, they are required to contact the merchant and/or the payment service provider by some other communication mechanism such as a phone, email, or instant messaging.
Thus, there is a need for an improved voice-controlled computing device.
Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the present disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.